NEW DELHI: Pakistan captain
Babar Azam
was visibly shaken and disappointed following his team's unexpected Super Over loss against USA in their opening match of the
T20 World Cup
. Azam acknowledged that his squad had underestimated their opponents, leading to a lackluster performance across all aspects of the game.
Azam's words reflected the collective disappointment and frustration within the Pakistani camp, as they grappled with the realization that their complacency had cost them dearly in a crucial tournament opener.
However, Babar's public criticism of his players did not go well with former Indian wicketkeeper-batter
Dinesh Karthik
, who expressed the opinion that a skipper should find ways to support his players instead.
T20 World Cup: Points Table | Schedule
"As a leader, you need to find a way to be diplomatic in press conferences, somehow find a way to back your players. Inside the four walls of the dressing room, you can say what you want and have a go at a few people, but you need to find a way to back your players. It's one thing to be honest, another thing to try to understand the team dynamics," Karthik told Cricbuzz.
"He's newly appointed a captain. A lot of players are vulnerable right now, and he needs to back them. He needs to say, 'yes, it was a bad day. We probably could've done certain things better, but we will make sure once we get on a roll, we have special players'. That's the kind of language. To state that we didn't play well in the first six overs, we lost too many wickets... it's stating the obvious."
Karthik said that Babar's comments in the press conference would undoubtedly demoralize the players ahead of their high-octane encounter against arch-rivals India on Sunday.
"I fear Pakistan players reading it, which they will be, will feel he's 'letting us down'. The way he's conducted himself at the field, having a go after the boundaries or his shoulders dropping, isn't a sign of a good leader.
"He needs to find a way to find body language to suggest he's fine with whatever's happening, and they can come around. Yes, showing disappointment is fine, but there's a way to show it where the players don't get even more nervous than they already are."
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